Sylvania



(NMoael.) A 4 J. NIHOLSON, W. J. MC'BLROY 85T. J. MQTIGHE.

' ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Patented S t. 18, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. NICHOLSON AND WILLIAM J. MOELROY, OF PITTSBURG, PENN- SYLVANIA, AND THOMAS J. MOTIGHE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389.822, dated September 18, 1888.

g Y Application filed December 24, 1887. Serial No. 258,899. (No model.)

x tric-Railway Systems; aud we do hereby de,-

clare the following to be a full, clear, and ex 4 act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that special class of electric-railway systems in which an insulated undergroundconductor is maintained in connection with the motor by the contact of a contact-bar on the car with isolated spots pro- 2o jecting slightly above the ground-level in the path of said bar,such spots becoming active or in circuit only when thecar is above them. A type ofsuch an electric-railway system is shown in United States Patent No. 363,250, issued to two ofthe present applicants May 17, 1887.

In said patent the contact-spots are rendered active or alive by electro-magnetic switching devices contained in boxes below the spots and energized by being made successively parts of 3o a derived circuit.

The object of the present invention is to simplify the construction of such boxes, avoid the complications of such electro-magnetic switching devices'and the possibility of damage by sparking at the various contacts required in the boxes, and at the same time secure a positive and reliable action and co-operation of all the operative members of the system.

The invention consists in the arrangement and combination of devices substantially as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a street-railway and motor car with two contact-spots, the contactbar having just reached one and being about to leave the other. Fig. 2 is a vdiagrammatic extension of Fig. 1, embracing a number of contact-spots. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a reversing arrangements.

It may be well to state that in the operation of this system the car-motors will be in multiple arc between the supply-main and the return, the former being the positive and placed underground, and the latter arranged in any suitable manner; but we prefer to use the ordinary rails for the purpose.

A designates the switch-boxes sunk in the street, and each furnished with an iron or steel contact spot or plug, I), projecting upward slightly, and downwardly into the box A, the plug b being insulated from the box. Each box A is cast with pipeilanges c at opposite sides of its bottom, which anges are screwthreaded to receive the connecting-pipes d, which form an air and water tight conduit for the supply-conductor c, which we prefer to have of lead-covered wire.

In each box A we pivot, on an insulated bearing, a permanently-magnetized steel bar, f, and connect each barf permanently with the main conductor e. The mounting of bar fis such that it will tend to gravitate to one side of the box, being prevented from contact by an insulation-buffer suitably located; and when the har is in vertical position it makes contact with its corresponding spot or plug I), and the contact is good,because the parts are strongly held together by magnetism. AAll the bars fare magnetized similarly--say with N polarity uppermost and S polarity below, as shown in the drawings. l

A friction spring, g, is arranged to bear against the barf slightly, having a projection or detent, and the bar having two slight depressions situated at the limits of movement of the bar, the tension of the spring being merely sufficient to maintain t-he bar against being,on

the one hand, jolted into contact with plug b by shocks from vehicles passing overhead, and, on the other hand, when in contact with plug b, falling away from it until forced by the operation of devices on the car. The normal position of the bars j' is out of contact with plugs b, the residual magnetism of the. bars being insufcient to attract them toward the plugs b at such a distance. There are no other devices, and Fig. 4 isa diagram showing the devices or switching mechanism in the boxes A. roo

5o' simple form of box for containing the contact The car I is provided with an electric motor, K, of any suitable size, type, and arrangement of gearing to give motion to the ear. Beneath or at one side ofthe car we suspend the contact-bar L by suitable pivoted or spring hangers. Our preference, however, is for the arrangement shown in Fig. l, the hangers m m' being of soft iron and the bar l of hard bronze of sufficient length to span at least two of the contact-plugs b. The iron hangers are preferably slotted at their lower ends, so as to straddle the bar Z and reach substantially to its lower edge, whereby in passing the plugs I) they are brought into very close proximity, and can thus exert a powerful inductive action. Each iron hanger mr m is surrounded by an exciting-helix, an', as shown, the two helices being connected in a derivation between the main supply-wire c and the rails or return, as hereinafter explained, and they are therefore wound to high resistance, so as to absorb as little energy as possible within the limits of their office. The connections are such that the two helices induce opposite pov larities in their respective lower ends, as indicated by the letters N and S in the figures, the polarity presented by the forward magnet being opposite to that permanently exhibited by the upper ends of all the pivot-ed bars j". IIence as the car moves forward the f ront inagnct, m, in passing over a spot-plug, I), induces N polarity in its upper end and S polarity in its lower end. TheN pole of barfisiustantly strongly attracted and flies over into contact with the plug b, as shown at the right of Fie. l. The plug so touched becomes alive, and current can pass through it into the bar Z, whence it passes through the motor K, and returns to the generator by means of the ear wheelsand rails, or otherwise, as the car moves forward. The barf, which thus made contact with its spot, is held in contact by its own magnetism, and is assisted by the dctent or spring g, and the contact remains till, just as the forward magnet has reached the next plug, b, in advance, the rear magnet, m', gets within inductive proximity to the spot which has been previously rendered alive 5 but the inductive action is the reverse now, as the N polarityr of magnetm induces S polarity at the top of that plug I), and N polarity at its bottom, which rcpcls the similar polarity of the pivoted barf, which has been in contact, and such contact is forcibly broken just as the long contact-bar is about to leave that spot behind. Thus the bar l will always have at least one livespot contact below it; but all those in front and behind will be dead-z'. e., out of contact with the main conductor c. The condition, therefore, is that along the whole railway, though the contact-spots b will be only fifteen or eighteen feet apart, all will be dead or uneharged except those immediately under the sliding bars Z of the various carsi n transit. Hence with a properly-insulated main c underground there is absolutely no possibility of shock to animals or pedestrians. The bart being always alive, the derived circuit containing the helices aand a is taken from it and ends at one of the axles or wheels of the car,as shown.

To enable the ear to be run either forward or backward, a reversing-switch is provided, as indicated at Fig. 4, which, when operated, will reverse the direction of current through both helices, and consequently reverse the polarity of their cores m M, in which ease the core m will be the attracting and core m the repelling medium for respeetivel y making and breaking contact between bars f and plugs b. As the electric motor must be reversed to drive the car the other way, the reversing mechanism may be fitted so that the one operation will also reverse the polar-ities of the magnets m and m. The specific method of doing this lies in the province of the mechanical constructor, and is not of the essence of this invention.

In the contingency of the car becoming derailed aud the contact-bar failing to reach the spots or plugs Z) it is probable that one of the spots will still be active oralivc,in which case a temporary connection can be readily made between it and the bar l and the motor and rails, so as to provide the motor with current; but if it should happen that no neighboring spot D is alive at the ti me, a powerful permanent magnet presented to anyspot will immediately render it active. Such a magnet could be permanently carried by each car without great expense. So that no mattei' what contingency or accident may happen, so long as thereis current on the main supply-conductor, the car-motor can always be furnished with current for operation.

Ve do not herein lay claim, broadly, to thev combination of an insulated main conductor, discontinuous surface conductors, and a magnet on the car adapted in passing to connect said main and surface' conductors, as suchl forms the subject-matter of another application filed by two of the present inventors, Serial No. 207,71S.

IVe claim as our invention- 1. In an electric-railway system, au insulated main conductor in a closed conduit, in combination with a series of insulated contact plugs or spots of magnetizable metal distributed apart along the surface, a pivoted magnet adjacent to each permanently connected to the main conductor, but normally out of contact with its plug and adapted to be brought into contact therewith by external magnetic induction, a magnet carried by the car iu inductive proximity to said plug, and a contact device on the ear adapted to connect with Said plufr.

2. In an electric-railway system, the combination of an insulated underground main conductor, a series of boxes containing each a pivoted magnet connected with said main conductor and having a magnetizable metal plug or cap in inductive relation to said magnet, but

IOS

normally disconnected therefrom, a motor-car having a contact-bar capable of spanning and touching two such metallic plugs at once, and an electro-magnet on said car having one pole in inductive reach of said plug, substantially as described.

3. In an electric-railway system, an insulated underground main conductor, a series of boxes, each containing a pivoted magnet con# nected with said main conductor, and having a magnetizable :metal plug or cap at the surface, with its inner extremity in inductive relation to said magnet, but normallyout of contact therewith, all of said pivoted magnets presenting their like poles similarly, in combination with a motor-car carrying a contactbar capable of spanning two such metallic plugs at once, and two electro-magnets presentingheir poles in inductive proximity to said plugs, the forward pole presenting polarity opposite in kind and the rear magnetpolerpresenting polarity of like kind to that of the swinging pole ot' the pivoted magnets, substantially as described.

4. In an electric-railway system wherein cur rent is conveyed to the motor of the car by means of discontinuous surface conductors alternately made active and inactive by the attractive and repulsive action of two electromagnets on the car, whereby the car is propelled in a given direction, thc combination, with said electro-magnets, of a current-reverser in their circuit adapted to change the direction of current and consequently reverse the order of attractive and repulsive action of said magnets.

5. The combination of the motor-car, its electro-magnets n m and n m', disposed as de- 4 scribed, diamagnetic contact-bar Z, with the magnetizable plugs b, and swinging magnets f,

permanently. connected to the main e, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in box A, of the magnetizable plug b, swinging magnet f, and a detent adapted to retain the magnet f in either of two positions against displacement by shock or jolting.

7. In an electric-railway system, the combination of an insulated main conductor, a series of discontinuous working conductors, devices for connecting and disconnecting said main and working conductors, dependent for respective operation upon opposite magnetic conditions, and two inducing-magnets on the car arranged to successively present such opposite conditions thereto.

8. In an electric-railway system, the combination of an insulated main conductor, a scries of disconnected working conductors,inter posed polarized switching devices adapted to connect and disconnect said conductors and respectively dependent for operation on induct ive attraction and repulsion, and two magnets on the car arranged to present in passing different polarities toward said switching devices, whereby as the car progresses each switch 'is twice operated-first, to make the connection, and, secondly, to break it.

In testimony whereof` we affix our signatures in presence of witnesses. Y JOHN D. NICHOLSON.

WM. J. MCELROY. THOMAS J. MCTIGHE. Witnesses as to J. D. Nicholson and W. J.

McElroy: CARL GARPEL, S. C. EDWARDS. Witnesses as to Thomas J. Mc'lighe:

CRAs. W. PRICE, LoREN N. DowNs. 

